RACING Veteran Stayers Had Mastery At Trentham

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 5

RACING Veteran Stayers Had Mastery At Trentham

The lack of good-class stayers among the younger horses has been emphasised by the results of the major handicaps in the .North Island in the last week or two, especially at the Wellington spring meeting, where veterans won all the major prizes for stayers.

No doubt this will give confidence to the connexions of horses such as Picaroon and Beauzami to try for New Zealand Cup honours at Riccarton next Saturday week.

Definite plans for Picaroon, the New Zealand Cup top-weight, have not yet been announced. If his connexions were satisfied with his performance in the weight-for-age Harcourt Stokes at Trentham last Monday then he will probably come south. This was disclosed before the race by J. T. Anderson, Picaroon’s usual rider.

Aj'nough Picaroon is now r-ine, he is stall wearing well. He showed much youthful zest at his first start for the season to beat a strong open sprint field, which included Acas and Dandeinee, at Wlamganui in August. The Harcourt Stakes, in which he made ground for fifth, was his fourth middle-distance test in the meantime.

Beauzami eaimed himself a New Zealand Cup start when he won the Harcourt Stakes with a strong stayer’s run. This hardy Beau Repai re eight-year-old will be

brought south by the Takanini trainer, C. M. Jillings. who will also have the Pearce Handicap winner, Wilful, at Riccarton. Beauzami might have improved his winning record at Trerzhatn but for his distinct dislike of the whip. His tendency to bore in under pressure could have cost him victory in the Wellington Handicap—in which he came right from the back and ran Fair Filou very close. He would also have finished closer than fifth in the Waitkins Handicap last Saturday

lad he not ducked away •ram the whip inside the ast furlong. G. F. Hughes, who rode 3eauzami right through the nesting, made sure the same hing did not occur in the faircourt Stakes. He kept 3eauzami straight and true vith a hands-and -heels ride, and only showed him the whip in the run to the line. If the same tactics are adopted with Beauzami at Riccarton he could be one of the major contenders for New Zealand Cup honours, for he is thoroughly seasoned and seems the ideal type to master two miles. Mr L. D. Dell, the Te Ar oh a owner-trainer of Fair Filou, may have to revise plans for a campaign he had mapped out for the top-class be Filou gelding.

Mr Deli has had an uphill battle to keep the galiaint eight-year-old sound since he

broke down during the running of the New Zealand Cup two years ago. His skill and natience were rewarded when Fair Filou came back to his oeak just before the Wellington spring meeting.

Fair Filou brilliantly won the Welliogtcin and Watkins Handicaps on the first two days, and that made him look the best of good things for the Harcourt Stakes last Monday. But he was obviously feeling the hard ground, for he went down scratehilv in his preliminary and in the final furlong was unable to stretch out with the same freedom which had marked his two previous runs.

If this proves to be onlv a temporary set-back Fair Filou, the winner of 16 races and more than £20,000 in stakes, will race next in the weight-fcr-age Foxbridge Plate and Waikato Gold Cup ait the Waikato Racing Club’s spring meeting at Te Rape next month.

Big Mec, which was scratched from the Watkins Handicap at Trentham last Saturday, will do his future racing in Australia. The five-year-old Count Rendered entire, which was trained for the estate of W. L. Gabites by P. Burgess at Tauhere.nikau, has been sold for an undisclosed four-figure sum to a patron of F. Best’s stable in Brisbane.

Big Mae, which won the Waipukurau Cup .at his start before last, is booked to leave for Australia next Saturday.